Beijing Pops: Jia Ling’s "Hi Mom" Makes a Box Office Splash During CNY

Feeling left out when your Chinese colleagues are gossiping about a trending star? Puzzled by those glamorous Chinese faces in subway ads, but can't even tell who they are? Beijing Pops will help you get through it all with the latest pop culture and celebrity news.

Jia Ling’s Hi Mom takes the lead in CNY box office sales

Despite initial concerns following Beijing's last-minute announcement that all cinemas in the capital would have to limit ticket sales during the Spring Festival holiday, it's certainly shaping up to be a very happy new year for China’s film industry. By midnight on Feb 18, cinemas had racked up RMB 8 billion in sales, effectively smashing previous years' records, such as single-day box office sales exceeding RMB 1 billion for five consecutive days.

Leading the revenue race is Hi Mom, the directorial debut from famed comedian Jia Ling, which tells the hilarious and emotional comeback story of a mother and daughter: the perfect recipe for the family reunion sentiment that dominates China around this time. By Feb 18 – the last official day of the holiday break – it had grossed RMB 3.2 billion. Prior to sitting in the director's chair, Jia delighted audiences with her crosstalk performances and 小品 xiǎopǐn skits, earning her a coveted slot at this year’s Spring Festival Gala.

Hi Mom is largely based on Jia's personal experience and was first conceptualized for a TV show in 2016. Later, she adapted it into a film to memorialize her mother who passed away in 2001, the same year she entered university at Beijing’s Central Academy of Drama. The film has scored an 8.2 out of 10 on China’s movie rating website Douban, with the top review reading, “You think you love your mom very much, but you can never imagine how much more she loves you.” It's not all applause and acclaim though. Some critics have noted that Jia, as a novice director, still has some way to go. Nevertheless, most folks agree that the movie is sincere and touching, two qualities that outshine any lack in technical ability.

Student tech influencer interviews Apple’s CEO

Sitting in a small, unassuming bedroom clad in black paperboard, a fluorescent capital “H” in the background, and a big roll of stress-relieving bubble wrap hanging on the wall, 22-year-old tech influencer He Shijie – better known by his nickname Hetongxue – interviewed Apple CEO Tim Cook. The interview – a thinly disguised marketing ploy by Apple – quickly went viral on Chinese social media like Weibo and video platform Bilibili, after being uploaded on Feb 17. Marketing ploy or not, it was a rare opportunity to glean insights from one of the world's most prominent voices in tech, an opportunity that He used to ask questions such as, “How does Apple keep creating new things every year?” “What features of Apple’s products are based on Chinese consumers’ feedback?” and “Is it true that you get up at 4am every day?”

A student from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, He has been vlogging about electronics since 2018, his well-produced videos and unique take on technology making him an instant hit with netizens. Though his videos typically garner millions of views, one of his earliest and most popular was about 5G, in which He demoed the technology and detailed his thoughts and concerns about its future application. The video gained more than 25 million views on Bilibili and 42 million views on Weibo, thus propelling the young tech guru to stardom overnight, and resulting in smartphone brand Oppo’s vice-president asking him to join the company. If you’re interested in sci-tech, you can follow He on Bilibili and Weibo, though his videos don't have English subtitles.

Tencent and iQiyi go head-to-head in battle of boy band survival shows

Spring tends to be the hottest season for programming focused on producing the next big idol groups, especially on streaming media and tech giants Tencent and iQiyi. The girl groups they produced during last year's "survival shows," BonBon Girls 303 and THE9, are still the most popular and successful groups in China. This year, however, is for the boys.

With the debut episodes of Tencent’s Chuang 2021 and iQiyi’s Youth With You 3 airing online at virtually the same time last week, discussion about the two programs has been trending in recent days. Unfortunately, however, compared to previous seasons, this year's chatter is largely about the poor quality of the contestants. While singing off-key and bad dancing isn't necessarily surprising, viewers were stunned to see performers drop their instruments, or engage in cringe-inducing behavior such as winking and flashing coquettish glances while curling their hands in front of their chest to pose like a kitten. Adding insult to injury, some of these dudes had a terrible attitude when talking to the show's judges, or mentors, an attitude that was ostensibly meant to project an air of authenticity and being "cool." Needless to say, memes of Chuang 2021 mentors' “What the hell” facial expressions quickly went viral online, accompanied by waves of critics of the show.

It's anyone's guess how the shows will be received by the time of their finales. But the problems with China’s idol industry are something that cannot be ignored. Survival shows are seen as a quick way to gain fame and wealth overnight for many young people. At the same time, however, these platforms show little interest in cultivating talent and careers with any sort of longevity, and are more concerned with churning out a quick buck, with no thought for the welfare of the participants. At any rate, the competition is fierce, and only a few names will ever make a lasting impact on the industry. So, wish these boys luck, lest they be quickly forgotten by the market.

READ: Beijing Pops: Singer-Songwriter Passes Away in Beijing, National Daughter's Secret Schedule

Images: iQiyi, Tencent video, Douban